


Sheith Month 2018

by lasersheith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-06 21:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 19,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15203900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasersheith/pseuds/lasersheith
Summary: All 27 prompts from @sheithmonth on tumblr are pre-kerberos fluff! Updates on Saturdays!Update: I'm ignoring all the season 7 spoilers from SDCC so uuhhh yeah





	1. Day 1: Trust

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not doing any of the 'free days' because SBB is taking over my whole life lol

Keith’s hands were barely long enough to hold both handles at the same time, and he was leaning too far to the right. Even with what little he weighed, it still made the delicately balanced machine lilt just enough to throw them off course. “You’re leaning again.” Shiro gently corrected.

Keith groaned and pumped the brakes. “S’No use. I’m too  _small_.” He practically spat the words out as he clambered off the bike and slid to the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees.

Shiro slid off too and sat beside him, mimicking Keith’s pose. He knocked their knees together. “You’ll be big enough in no time. If you learn good form now, it’ll make it easier later.” Shiro’s voice was calm and gentle. Keith was anything but.

“I’m  _sixteen_ ,” He protested, burying his face into his knees. “I’m gonna be a shrimp forever.” His muffled, distraught voice made Shiro chuckle.

Shiro put his hand on the nape of Keith’s neck and squeezed lightly. “Look, some of us are just late bloomers. You have plenty of time.”

Keith scoffed in response. “Easy for you to say.” He grumbled.

Shiro left his hand on Keith’s back as he scrolled through his phone to find a picture. “Ok, I wouldn’t show this to just anyone. Can I trust you to keep this between us?” Shiro asked, holding the phone to his chest.

Keith didn’t say  _you’re the only person who talks to me, who am I gonna tell?_ Instead, he nodded. Shiro turned the phone around and held it out to Keith. “This was me just shy of 16.” His cheeks were dusted with a faint pink.

The picture was taken in front of some kind of shrine, Keith didn’t know what it was for. There was an older man and a very small, very chubby boy grinning together and holding up small strips of paper. “That was you?” Keith blurted out in disbelief.

Shiro laughed. “Yup. Me and Gramps.” His eyes took on faraway look. “We took a trip to his brother’s place in Japan and did a bunch of touristy stuff all summer after my first year at the Garrison.” Shiro scrolled through a few more pictures, smiling at the memories before his face dropped and his mouth twisted to the side a little. He kept scrolling until he found the one he wanted. “And that’s a year and a half later.” He turned the phone back to Keith.

Shiro was staring grimly at the camera in his awful orange and white cadet uniform, saluting. He’d grown almost a foot since the previous picture, the softness of his face almost gone, the doughy frame replaced with hard lines of muscle. “Wow, you really shot up.” Keith murmured.

Shiro turned and smiled at him. “I sure did. You will too, I guarantee it.” Keith shook his head.

There was no way Shiro could know that. Keith hated stupid platitudes from well-meaning people who had no idea what they were talking about, but when Shiro said it, for some reason, Keith believed it. He jumped to his feet and brushed himself off. “Ok, let’s try again.” He climbed back onto the bike and waited for Shiro to hop on.

The familiar warm weight settled in behind him and Keith blushed as Shiro’s big hands settled over top of his own much smaller ones. “Ok, you can do this, Keith. Remember,” Shiro adjusted their position slightly before Keith could start it up. “Patience yields focus.” He finished once he was happy with the way Keith was sitting.

Keith smiled as he kicked the bike into gear and took off into the desert, finally in a straight line.


	2. Day 2: Training

Of course Keith had grown, Shiro had known that he was going to, eventually. He just hadn’t been prepared to  _notice_  so acutely. After a brief 4 week training mission in LEO, Shiro had crashed back down to earth and taken his first shaking steps back in 1G only to find the solid ground swept out from underneath of him. The surly, scrawny teen with a chip on his shoulder who would fight you for looking at him sideways had grown into almost a man right before Shiro’s eyes.

And Shiro’s eyes couldn’t tear themselves away.

Keith had been all smiles and knocking elbows and showing off his recent sim scores as he excitedly asked about Shiro’s short trip into the black when he was finally debriefed and allowed back in his own room. “It was… it was so beautiful, Keith.” Shiro whispered breathlessly. “I can’t wait until you can see it for yourself.” He put his hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezed, wondering when he’d gotten quite so  _broad_.

Matt had told him that it was a well-documented side effect of the isolation that comes with being stuck in a glorified tin can with two other guys for weeks; when you get back you see everything in a different light. The theory made sense and Shiro was sure that was part of it, but deep down he knew that this had been a long time coming.

Keith smiled up at him, his giant blue eyes the only thing that hadn’t changed. The look that usually made Shiro smile right back suddenly had his mouth running dry. Had that look always been so intense? “Maybe I’ll get to go on a mission with you one day.” Keith said quietly.

Shiro let a harsh breath out through his nose. “Yeah, definitely.” He brought his hand up to ruffle Keith’s shaggy hair. “Long as you keep studying hard.” Keith ducked his head and slapped at Shiro’s midsection playfully.

“Yeah, yeah.” He replied, voice dripping a sarcasm the blinding smile on his lips eclipsed. Shiro let out a nervous chuckle. He suddenly couldn’t think of a thing to say. “So, first day out of medical. What’s for dinner?” Keith asked after the silence stretched on for a moment too long.

Shiro put a hand over his stomach. “Cheeseburger. For sure.” He answered with a grin.

Keith’s face lit up even brighter. “Good call. I’ll drive.” His smirk had been funny or infuriating before, depending on the context, but now it took Shiro’s breath away. “Don’t worry, I’ve been practicing while you were gone.” Keith reassured at the stricken look on Shiro’s face.

“Hey, I always knew you’d get the hang of it.” Shiro replied with another nervous chuckle. “Just uh,” he brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck. The thought of having to sit behind Keith on the bike and hold on to his waist or shoulders was suddenly overwhelming, but the thought of having to eat at the commissary again after weeks of rehydrated goop had him willing to risk it. “Let me change first.” Shiro finished, gesturing down to his uniform.

Keith nodded. “Meet me in the garage?” He paused in Shiro’s doorway and looked over his shoulder.

Shiro swallowed hard and nodded as well. “Yeah, sure. Five minutes.”

The door clicked shut and Shiro let out a shaky breath as he started changing into his casual clothes. There was no training manual to prepare him for this.


	3. Day 3: Drinking

Some junior officers relished their time on the night roster, scouring the halls for cadets out of bed, busting up parties, giving their friends who were still senior cadets loads of demerits just for fun. Shiro was never one of those junior officers. Sure, he’d busted Matt’s chops once or twice to get him back for a dumb prank, but generally he would look the other way and let most things slide when his turn came up on the duty roster.

Weekend rotations on the night roster were the worst. Technically, the curfew was extended not dropped; Lights out was to be at strictly 2400 Friday and Saturday night, but almost no one followed that rule. Shiro always waited until at least 0130 to start knocking on doors with obvious lights on and shooing people from the halls. At 0140, about halfway through his first rounds of the senior cadets’ quarters, a particularly noisy room caught his attention.

“Great…” Shiro grumbled as he knocked on the door three times. His coffee was already losing effect and he still had over 3 hours before he was off duty. “Cadets! This is Lieutenant Shirogane. Please open this door right now.” He called in his most commanding voice after his knocking was ignored.

The chatter and the faint music died down immediately. A sheepish, booze-reddened face peeked through the door as it opened just a crack. “Hey, LT!” The boy hiccuped with a nervous grin.

Shiro rolled his eyes and pushed the door open. He hadn’t expected to find Keith in the group of four cadets huddled in the corner farthest from the door. “Simpson, lights out, right now. Singh, Johnson, Martinez, back to your quarters. Kogane, you’re with me.” He shook his head as everyone stared at him like a bunch of deer in headlights. “Now, cadets! Or do you wanna make it 2 demerits?” He ordered.

At the sound of his command, the teenagers scrambled. Three of them hustled down the hall at double time, carrying their boots while Keith stood, drunkenly swaying a bit, next to Shiro. Shiro grabbed the two mostly empty bottles of cheap whiskey and stuffed them under his arm before turning on his heels toward the door. Keith followed unsteadily.

Shiro walked to his own quarters and ushered Keith inside. He didn’t say a word as he poured the alcohol down his sink and put the bottles in his recycling bin. He left himself a note to file the disciplinary paperwork in the morning.

Turning to Keith, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well?” Shiro asked pointedly.

Keith sighed and his shoulders slumped. “I was just really excited to be invited to something.” He grumbled, cheeks reddening in embarrassment at the admission.

All of Shiro’s outrage and disappointment fled with those words. He pushed off the counter and pulled Keith into a tight hug. Keith was either too drunk to protest the display of affection, or uninhibited enough to go along with it. Shiro pulled back after a moment and held him by his shoulders. “Ok, look. If you’re gonna have a party, be smart about it.” He scolded lightly. “Cover the bottom of the door with towels so no one can tell you’re past curfew, and put on a movie or something, not loud music.”

Keith laughed. “Are you really teaching me how to break rules?” His words were still a little slurred.

Shiro shook his head and laughed too. “Look, I was no angel as a senior cadet, I just knew how to  _not get caught_.” He said with a sly grin. “I just don’t want to see you get kicked out or miss out on making friends.” He squeezed Keith’s shoulders lightly before letting go. “You’re still getting that demerit, though.” He wagged a finger at Keith’s chest.

Keith nodded, still smiling. “Yeah, that’s fair.” Shiro sighed and was about to tell Keith to get back to his own room when Keith’s eyebrows narrowed and his hand shot up to his mouth.

Shiro’s eyes widened and he grabbed the trashcan next to the sink, shoving it into Keith’s chest just in time to avoid calamity. He patted Keith’s back as his evening came to an unfortunate close. “We’ll have to work on that, too.” Shiro muttered, wrinkling his nose.

He set the trashcan down and grabbed a few paper towels to help Keith wipe off his face. Keith groaned miserably as Shiro tossed them into the bin and tied off the bag with a grimace. Shiro grabbed a cup and filled it with cold water, handing it off to Keith’s shaking hands. “Looks like you’re bunking with me tonight, buddy.” He said with a chuckle as Keith sipped at the water. “You gonna be ok until 0500?” He asked, guiding Keith to his bed.

Keith nodded, eyes already closed as he sat down. Shiro took the cup from his hand and put it on the bedside table. Keith had already flopped sideways across the bed, snoring softly.

Shiro pulled his boots off and tossed them to the side before dragging Keith around to lay on the pillows. He didn’t bother slinging the comforter over him, he’d be too warm still wearing his uniform and Shiro didn’t have it in him to undress him any further.

“Goodnight, Keith.” He whispered quietly with a soft smile as he headed back out to finish his rounds.


	4. Day 5: Guiding Light

Shiro was always up early, but Venus was supposed to be rising at 0413 on the nose, and it was a half hour drive followed by at least an hour’s hike to get to the best spot to see it. 0200 was a much more acceptable time to go to bed than wake up, but he quietly made his way to the senior cadets’ barracks and keyed in Keith’s door code just as his watch flipped 0210. Keith was already up, boots on and backpack shouldered, sleepy but excited smile brightening his face. 

They didn’t talk as they made their way to the garage. Even if Shiro was a junior officer, he still wasn’t allowed to break curfew without a reason. Getting caught would land them both in a bucket of hot water and they’d miss their chance at planetgazing for months. With two of them, it was easy to push the bike clear of the hangar nearly soundlessly. The night guard was out cold, anyway.

As soon as they were clear of the only gate they knew wouldn’t be monitored, they both hopped on. Keith started the bike up and took off like a bat out of hell, Shiro clinging to his waist with a breathless, elated gasp. It was a chilly night, as most were in the desert, but between the adrenaline of sneaking out and their close proximity both of them were plenty warm.

Keith pulled the bike to a stop at the base of the trail leading to the top of a wide, flat mesa. Shiro slid off the bike and pulled out his flashlight, holding it under his chin and making an exaggerated ghostly wail. Keith laughed as he dug through his own pack.

“Cool it, Casper.” Keith answered, growling a little in frustration as he searched. “Can I get some light over here?”

“Somethin’ wrong?” Shiro asked, shining the light down into Keith’s bag.

Keith slumped his shoulders and sighed. “I forgot my flashlight.” He grumbled.

Shiro shrugged. “Looks like I’m taking point then. We’ll go slow, we made great time out here.” He reassured, hand resting on Keith’s shoulder.

Keith stood up and threw his pack on, clipping the straps. “Let’s do this.” He agreed with a smile.

The hike would have taken a lot less time during the day, but the path was steep and the loose rocks made it a little dangerous with low visibility. They stuck close together and grabbed onto each other’s jackets or arms as Shiro’s tiny flashlight failed to warn them of pitfalls on the trail. “Maybe this was a bad idea.” Shiro said with a laugh as Keith slipped and grabbed onto his arm for the third time in as many minutes.

“Worth it when we get to the top, though.” Keith protested, adrenaline leaving him breathless at his latest almost-tumble.

Shiro shook his head and linked their arms at the elbow. “Four legs are better than two, right?” He asked with a blush at Keith’s raised eyebrow.

Keith laughed but didn’t move away. “If you say so.” Keith tentatively agreed, and they were off again.

It was much easier navigating the trail with the extra weight and balance they gave each other and they made it to the top of the mesa with plenty of time to spare. Shiro was reluctant to drop his arm, but they had to set up their sleeping bags so they could watch the celestial show unfold.

They each had a small foldable telescope in hand as they watched Venus make her way above the mountains in the distance, a bright yellow dot amidst the sea of blacks and blues. She crossed over the moon and was lost for a few minutes. They both set their telescopes aside and surveyed the rest of the milky way spread out before them. “Thanks for this, Shiro. It’s really cool.” Keith said quietly. He looked down at Shiro’s hand resting between them, trying to summon the courage to slide his palm across Shiro’s and link their fingers. He picked his telescope back up instead, but his eyes stayed glued to the side of Shiro’s face.

Shiro turned his head and smiled. “Thanks for coming with me! This is way more fun when you have someone to share it with.” He replied, looking back up at the stars. “We’re probably stuck up here until sunrise, though. Going back down in the dark with only one flashlight is a little sketchy for my tastes.” Shiro said with a laugh.

Keith groaned. “Sorry.” He mumbled,

Shiro shrugged and smirked. “It’s ok, I’m happy to be your guiding light.” He tried hard not to laugh.

Keith elbowed him in the arm with a laugh of his own. “So cheesy!” He muttered.

Shiro finally let himself laugh at Keith’s response. “What’s wrong with cheesy?” Shiro asked, pulling his telescope back up to his eye as Venus became visible again.

Keith smiled. “Nothing.” He answered quietly.


	5. Day 6: Pre-Kerberos

The rooftop of the junior officers’ barracks was technically off-limits, though that had never stopped Shiro from sneaking his way up to stargaze or get some fresh air. The past several months he found himself drawn to the roof more and more; just off the southwest corner the upper stage of the SLS-6 was visible far off in the distance.

It was the orbital launcher that would be taking him and his crew to the very edge of the solar system. 

Leaning up against the balcony and looking out over the desert filled him with mixed emotions. Excitement, anticipation, nostalgia, longing… regret. It would be a year or more before he’d be back on this rooftop, shivering from the chilly night air. A year before his boots would slide on a rocky trail to the top of a high mesa in the dark. A year before he’d have his arms around Keith’s waist as they flew through the sand and rock and underbrush, no destination in mind.

He wasn’t surprised to hear the door open behind him with a soft click. He’d been expecting Keith to show up once he realized Shiro’s room was empty. The hand that landed on his shoulder was warm and the weight grounded him.

Keith smiled up at him as he stared at the rocket. “Nervous, golden boy?” He asked with a fond smile.

Shiro’s posture relaxed and he turned to Keith with a smile of his own. “So nervous!” He said with a laugh, letting his shoulders slump.

“You’ll do great.” Keith assured, squeezing Shiro’s shoulder before letting go.

Standing back up straight, Shiro linked his fingers behind his head and stretched. “I really want Commander Holt to think I’m cool.” He said with an embarrassed grin.

Keith rolled his eyes. “He guest lectured for my astro-geology course last term and made so many rock puns the professor let class out 20 minutes early.”

Shiro barked out a laugh that had his shoulders shaking. “Ok, so puns are the key, got it.” He gripped the railing and stared back out over the horizon. 

It was his last night on Earth for at least a year, depending on the relaunch conditions. He looked over at Keith and tried to memorize the curves and edges of his face. Keith looked up and smiled at him, a little confused. “You ok?” He asked quietly. 

Shiro sighed. “It’s just…” He trailed off, turning back to the desert. They were both quiet for so long that Shiro’s knuckles started to ache from gripping the cold railing. “I’m gonna miss you.” He all but whispered. 

Keith’s eyebrows narrowed as he considered. “You’ll be having too much fun flying in space.” His face softened and he bumped Shiro’s shoulder with his own.

Shiro bumped him back. “Yeah, we’ll see.” He answered, pushing off from the railing. “C’mon, it’s cold out here.” He gestured towards the door leading back inside. “We can hang out in my room.” 

Keith looked around one more time before following him. “Gotta get up early for all the pre-launch stuff. Shouldn’t you go to bed?” He asked as Shiro held the door open for both of them. 

“That’s what coffee’s for.” Shiro said with a shrug. 


	6. Day 7: Clones

Shiro frowned as he looked in the mirror, running a hand over his head. “Matt, I thought you said you were good at cutting hair?” He grumbled, turning his head to see the slightly uneven sides. **  
**

Matt shrugged. “I said I _could_  cut hair, not that I was  _good_  at it. You’ve seen what I look like.” He protested. “It doesn’t even look that bad, you’re just being dramatic.”

Shiro grumbled under his breath again as he pulled on his uniform shirt and fought with the buttons. “I look like a chia-pet that someone stuck sideways in a corner.”

“I didn’t hear what you said, so I’m going to assume it was ‘Thank you so much for saving me a trip into town to go to the barber’ and you’re welcome!” Matt shouted back from his own bedroom.

Shaking his head, Shiro laced his boots and grabbed his bag, heading out without another look in the mirror. He’d almost forgotten about it by the time he got to the commissary for breakfast, but the look on Keith’s face said it all. Shiro was thankful that Keith was at least trying to keep the smirk off of his face, but it made his lips twist and his nose scrunch. “Go ahead, you can laugh.” He muttered, crossing his arms.

Keith did laugh, and he laughed hard. “I’m sorry, what HAPPENED?” He asked, almost doubled over as he held his sides.

Shiro groaned. “I didn’t have time to go into town so Matt cut it for me.” His cheeks flushed as he explained.

Keith shook his head. “You know Matt cuts his own hair right?” He’d finally caught his breath and was staring at Shiro like he’d grown a third arm.

“I know! I know. It’s fine. It’ll grow back.” Shiro groused. “Let’s just… go eat breakfast.”   
  
Keith put his on Shiro’s shoulder. “It really doesn’t look that bad.” He said soothingly.

Shiro stared at him blankly. “You just laughed so hard you almost fell down.” He deadpanned.

Keith grimaced but didn’t reply, instead following Shiro as he made his way to the chow line.

..

Three days later, Shiro spent the entire morning feeling like he was in some kind of elaborate Truman Show style prank. Half of the boys in professor Montgomery’s first year flight mechanics class showed up with his awful haircut. A solid chunk of the cadets he passed as he made his way back to his quarters once his morning TA duties were finished had the same style as well. It shot straight past bizarre and landed right into disconcerting. He texted Keith to meet him on the roof of the junior officers barracks for lunch so he wouldn’t have to see anyone else.

Keith showed up with lunch in hand and the same shaggy hair as always and Shiro breathed a sigh of relief. “What is wrong with the junior cadets?” Shiro said with a grimace as he bit into his sandwich.

Keith chuckled as he sat down across from Shiro on the small blanket he’d laid out. “They’re all creepy little clones of you.” Keith teased. “Bet if you dyed your hair pink they’d all do it, too. Probably think that copying you makes them better pilots.” He took a bite out of his apple and grinned.  

Shiro distractedly watched the juice run down Keith’s chin and hand before he processed what Keith had said. “Studying and practicing is what makes you a good pilot, not stupid hair.” He groused.

“Looks a lot better now that’s grown out a little.” Keith said with a shrug. “But why did he cut one side so much shorter?” He tilted his head back and forth, looking at each side of Shiro’s hair.

Shiro sighed. “Because he’s the worst. He somehow knew this would happen.” He asserted.

Keith raised an eyebrow but didn’t call him on his paranoia. “We could always prank him back.” He suggested.

Shiro’s interest was piqued and his sour mood seemed to lift. “What did you have in mind?”


	7. Day 8: Save Me

Keith was trying hard to stay awake as he stared at his computer from his suddenly very comfortable desk chair. His morning schedule was pulled up as he tried to remember what order his new classes were in. The door to his room swung open and shut again in a flurry, as a very panicked Shiro first tried crawling under his desk and then slid underneath his bed. “Shiro? What are you doing?” Keith asked, tilting his head to stare at him.

“Matt’s coming, he’s really mad. You have to save me.” Shiro begged quietly.

Keith straightened up in his chair and sighed. It was way too early for this. “Your boots are sticking out.” He pointed to the end of the bed and tried not to laugh as Shiro curled up into a ball. A harsh banging on his door caught his attention, and he tossed his blanket halfway off the bed to better conceal Shiro. He threw his pillow diagonally across the bed for added plausibility.

Throwing open the door with his best tired pout, Keith stepped back as Matt barreled into the room. “Where is he, Keith?” Matt demanded.

Keith stared at Matt’s wrinkled, soggy, and slightly brown uniform. “What happened to your shirt?” He asked with a yawn.

“Why don’t you ask Shiro.” Matt growled dramatically, throwing open Keith’s closet.

Keith scratched his head. “Why would Shiro be in my closet?” He was a little too good at playing dumb for his own liking.

Matt glared suspiciously around the room. “Whatever. If you see him let him know I’m gonna kick his ass.”

It might have been threatening if Keith didn’t know that Shiro was a foot taller and probably 80 pounds heavier than Matt, but it he pretended to take it seriously anyway as he ushered Matt out the door.

As soon as it closed, Shiro let out a sigh of relief and crawled back out from under the bed. “Thanks, Keith.” He said with an embarrassed smile.

Keith shook his head. “What did you do?” He asked with a laugh.

Shiro’s blush deepened. “I might have uh, taped an airhorn to the back of the bathroom door.” He cringed. “And also put a life-sized cutout of Gollum on the sink.” Keith was already laughing as Shiro continued explaining. “Matt went back into the bathroom to check his hair, and he was holding coffee. I heard him scream and went to laugh at him, but he threw his brush at me, so I made a break for it.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he finished.

Keith held his sides as he laughed. “Well you’re gonna have to face him sooner or later.” He pointed out.

Shiro grimaced. “Yeah I was really hoping for later.” He said sheepishly.

Keith smiled. “Well I’m done with class at 3, but you can hang out here as long as you want.” He offered.

Shiro let his shoulders slump in relief. “Thanks, Keith, you’re a lifesaver.”


	8. Day 9: Physical Touch

There are a lot of ways Keith would describe Shiro: kind, loyal, strong, dependable, funny, smart,  ~~gorgeous~~ , and unfortunately…

High strung.

Keith knew the week before Shiro’s qualifying exam would be rough. He and Matt had prepared both of their rooms into the ultimate Shiro-comfort-zones. They picked up an unreasonable amount of boxed macaroni and cheese, brownie mix, and marshmallows from the grocery in town (and had nearly gotten kicked out… again), Matt downloaded every ‘feel-good comedy of the year’ of the last decade, and Keith already had the entire Disney collection on his laptop, all of the sheets and blankets had been washed and every pillow had been fluffed. Keith was sure they were ready.

They were not.

At quarter to 8, Keith got a text from Matt asking if he’d seen Shiro. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t, but he knew where Shiro would be. Sighing and grabbing a pack of mini-marshmallows in the off-chance a distraction would work, he headed down to the flight sim. The lights were all off, and everything was quiet. It didn’t bode well.

Knocking gently at the door, Keith whispered a soft, “Shiro?” but got no response. He took a deep breath and opened it, feeling his stomach clench in sympathy as soon as he did. Tossing the bag of glorified sugar onto the floor, he put a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Hey, you ok?” He asked quietly.

Shiro sat up from where he’d been slumped over the controls, eyes red-rimmed. “I’m fine. I just can’t,” his voice broke and he swallowed hard. “I can’t figure this out.” His voice was a little shaky.

Keith sat down in the comm spec’s chair and clipped his harness over his chest. “Walk me through it, we’ll figure it out together.” He coax.

Shiro took a steadying breath and refastened his own harness before starting up the sim. “The first part’s easy.” He explained, taking them through the beginning of the sim with practiced ease. “This is the spot I can’t figure out.” He groaned, knuckles going white on the yoke.

“Pause simulation.” Keith said authoritatively. The computer paused at his command. He furrowed his brows as he studied the telemetry being reported on the screen and the mission objectives. “What have you tried so far?” He asked once he was sure he had a handle on their goals.

Shiro pointed out the various approaches he’d tried, increasingly more miserably as he relayed every attempt. Keith nodded along as Shiro spoke, trying to come up with a different approach. Admittedly, Shiro had already tried everything that made sense. Keith frowned as he thought. “Resume simulation.” He said, earning a confused look from Shiro as he turned back to the suddenly-live controls. “Ok, go left.”

Shiro frowned as he followed Keith’s instructions from there. They’d gotten a little farther than his previous attempts before they were staring at the  _Simulation Failed_  screen again. He growled in frustration under his breath. Keith unclipped his harness and stood behind Shiro’s chair, hands gripping the soft material behind Shiro’s head. “Start simulation.” He called.

Again, Shiro took them through the first several minutes with ease, and then went left as Keith had called out before. Instead of the complicated maneuver they’d tried last time, Keith reached forward and laid his hands over Shiro’s on the controls. He heard Shiro take in an uneasy breath and noticed the way his shoulders twitched, but he guided them both around in a move he couldn’t figure out how to explain with words.

As soon as the  _Mission Complete_  screen flashed in front of them, Shiro dropped his hands from the controls like they’d suddenly caught fire. He unhooked his own harness and stood up. “Keith! That was amazing!” He all but shouted. His outburst echoed in the tiny room.

Shiro laughed as he stepped forward and pulled Keith into a bone-crushing hug. Keith laughed with him as Shiro sputtered and took a big step back, nearly tripping over the console as he rubbed the back of his neck, face bright red. “Uh, I mean.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

Keith shook his head at Shiro’s antics, turning around to retrieve the bag of marshmallows from the floor near the entrance. Shiro’s eyes lit up. “There’s like 8 more bags of these and a bunch of brownies in your room, but you have to leave the sim to get them.” Keith said with finality as he opened the door and walked out, not waiting to hear Shiro’s response.

Shiro stared in stunned silence for a moment before jolting forward towards the door. “Wait, Keith! I’m done, I promise!” He called, quickly following after him.


	9. Day 10: Suspicion

Keith hadn’t gotten a single demerit all week, not even for staying in the sims past curfew. It would have been a cause for celebration, but it just happened to be the week before Shiro’s birthday. Shiro knew Keith had to be up to something. 

With Matt, Shiro knew that it was futile to try to anticipate what sort of shenanigans would happen at and around and to him on his birthday. Keith was an all together different story, however. The previous year, Shiro had come back to his quarters after class only to find it thoroughly  _Holted.  
_

Shiro still didn’t know how much Keith had to do with that particular disaster (it had taken weeks to completely clean and Matt took full credit), but he did know that Keith was behind the hand-drawn  _Happy Birthday_  card that had been left on his pillow. The inside only had two words: Thank you. 

He still had it tucked away in a desk drawer. 

They’d gotten much closer over the last year. It was rare that they didn’t see each other after class, even rarer still for it to happen several days in a row. Shiro didn’t want to seem overbearing or overeager, Keith needed a lot of personal space and it was important to Shiro not to cross that line, but he’d also been to the library, the gym, the simulator, the commissary, and the roof looking for Keith every night that week before finally giving in and coming up with an excuse to text him.

It was still the night before his birthday, but when Keith had finally texted him back to meet on the roof, Shiro was nervous. He half-expected Matt and Keith to have booby-trapped the door to spray him with water or confetti or glitter (…again…) as he stepped out onto the roof, but thankfully the door swung open as it always did.

Keith turned towards him from his spot leaning up against the railing as he approached. Butterflies leapt from Shiro’s stomach up to his throat at Keith’s soft smile. “Hey,” he choked out, standing next to Keith and grabbing onto the railing.

“Hi.” Keith answered with a laugh.

They stood in silence for a moment before both talking at the same time. “So what ha-” “Sorry I’ve be-” They laughed as they interrupted each other.

“Go ahead,” Shiro offered, crossing his arms.

Keith nodded. “Sorry I’ve been so busy this week.” He said with a serious expression. “Hopefully it’ll be worth it.”

Shiro smiled. “I’m sure it’s great. At the very least, it’s kept you out of trouble.” He teased, knocking their boots together lightly.

Keith rolled his eyes and checked his watch. “5 minutes.” He smirked.

A smirk from Keith usually just meant a bad pun or a high score or something else innocuous that would give Shiro’s heart no reason to start beating like he’d just run a marathon. Shiro looked down at his own watch and frowned. “Why 2148?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Keith let out a slight chuckle. “Iverson already told Matt that if either of us were caught out of the barracks after 2200 tonight he’d throw us in the brig for the weekend.”

Shiro laughed at the thought of the two of them sitting awkwardly with all the drunken junior officers for two days before the realization struck him. “Wait, what if you get caught heading back to your room?” He asked, suddenly concerned.

Keith shrugged. “We’ll just have to walk fast.” He answered unworriedly.

The seconds ticked away slowly as Shiro’s blood pressure rose. Keith’s watch beeped and he pointed to the guard tower at the west end of the Garrison’s campus. All of the flood lights had turned on full blast and been pointed to the same spot far out in the desert.

Hundreds of tiny mirrors, stolen from the biology department no doubt, glinted as the light reflected off of them. Shiro followed the curious reflection even farther, to the base of the small mountain nearest the Garrison. The lettering was a little sloppy, but the bright lights lumpily spelled out HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHIRO against the rocky surface. Shiro laughed and tossed an arm around Keith’s shoulders. “That’s incredible! How long did that take you guys?” He asked fondly.

Keith shrugged. “Most of the week. Matt’s been planning it for months. I just put the mirrors where he told me to.” He admitted with an embarrassed smile.

“Where is Matt, by the way?” Shiro asked, just as the lights abruptly shut off.

Keith smirked again. “Probably on his way to Iverson’s office.”

They both laughed. “This was awesome, Keith. Thank you.” Shiro said quietly, squeezing his shoulder.

Keith leaned in to the half-hug and pulled an envelope out of his jacket. “This too. Open it later.”

Shiro nodded and slipped it into his jacket for safekeeping. He convinced Keith not to push his luck with Iverson and head back to his room before he ended up sharing Matt’s fate. It was a little selfish, he was dying to know what Keith put in the envelope.

He opened it carefully and pulled out a card, similar to the one Keith had made him last year, but this time there was something inside. Carefully taped to the thick paper was one of the panels from the cheesy old photobooth they’d jumped into on a whim during one of their trips into town. They had their arms around each other’s shoulders, sunburns on their cheeks, and giant grins. Written in Keith’s neat scrawl underneath was the date the picture had been taken and short note:  Thank you for not giving up on me.

Shiro blushed and closed the card. He opened it again and took another look before placing it in the drawer on top of last year’s.


	10. Day 12: Choices

Keith groaned at his screen as he scrolled through the seemingly endless form. Concerned, Shiro looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, everything ok?” He asked, walking up behind Keith’s seat and leaning to look at the screen.

Keith blushed and ducked lower in the chair, trying hard to keep his eyes fixed forward towards the screen. Ogling a senior cadet on his first day probably wasn’t the best move, even if he had known Shiro for weeks by that point. “There are too many electives! I don’t even know what half of these words mean.” He grumbled. 

Shiro laughed. “I’ll help you narrow down some of your choices. You get two electives first term, one has to be math or science and the other can be whatever you want.” He explained, resting his arm along the back of the chair next to Keith’s head. Keith wasn’t sure if it was soap or cologne or deodorant or if maybe somehow Shiro just smelled like _that_ , but it was extremely distracting. “What do you like to do? I’m sure we can find you something relevant.”

Although he was a lot more mature than most boys his age, only so much can be expected from the sense of humor or flirting tactics of a 15 year old.  _Why don’t we start with you?_  was on the tip of his tongue, but he chickened out when Shiro looked at him with an expectant but patient smile. “I uh,” Keith stammered, blushing. “I like to draw.” He finally squeaked out.

Shiro’s smile brightened. “I took introduction to drawing with Professor Morris my first term. It was really fun, even if I can still only draw a stick figure.” He said with a laugh.

Keith couldn’t help but smile at the lovely sound. “Doesn’t seem like a very good professor.” He teased.

Shiro shook his head and sighed “That poor woman. She tried so hard.” Shiro laughed again, mostly at himself. “Don’t worry, she’s great. You’ll love her.” He reassured.

Keith nodded and turned back to the screen, scrolling to add the class to his registration. “Math or science next.” Keith said, scrunching up his face in concentration again.

Shiro turned and sat on the edge of the desk so they could face each other. “What core math did you test into?” He asked, crossing one arm and resting his chin on the other.

“Calc 2.” Keith answered a little forlornly. He’d been disappointed in the result, but he knew having an actual teacher instead of just a book would probably help him learn better.

Shiro smiled and snapped his fingers. “That’s perfect. You only need Calc 1 for Fluid Dynamics, and then you’ll be a leg up for the advanced flight courses next year.” He suggested excitedly.

His enthusiasm was contagious and Keith couldn’t help but grin as well. “Ok, there we go.” He added Fluid Dynamics to the list and hit Register. “I’m set.” It felt a little surreal.

Shiro held his hand up for a high five. “You are 100% officially a student at the Galaxy Garrison now, Keith. Congrats.”

Keith blushed as he slapped his hand against Shiro’s much larger one. “Thanks.” He said quietly.


	11. Day 13: Tragedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might do more with this snippet, it turned into almost a whole fic on its own lol

Getting the quartermaster to agree to sign over the newest and best hoverbike in the garage for an evening wasn’t easy. Matt had tried and been denied on the basis that he was awful at driving, which while entirely fair, had thrown a wrench in Shiro’s plan when he asked only a handful of minutes later. “You gonna let Holt drive?” The quartermaster asked, glaring suspiciously.

“Uh, Holt?” Shiro had stammered out.

The quartermaster was not impressed. “Scrawny little dork that follows you around? The one that crashed an 8400 into the one tree in a 40 mile radius?”

Shiro laughed awkwardly. “Oh, yeah. No, sorry that was a joke. No, I’m going to take it out for a test ride. Get some more hours logged.” His face flushed, as it always did when he was lying.

She crossed her arms. “Try again, LT.” Her glare felt like it was boring into his soul.

Shiro hung his head. “It’s Keith’s birthday. I know he’s still a senior cadet and isn’t allowed to check the vehicles out, but he’s at least as good as I am and it’ll mean a lot to him.” He was practically begging, sad puppy eyes and all.

Sighing, she filled out a few lines on her terminal. “If there is a single scratch,” She held up her index finger as she handed over the keys with her other hand. “And I mean one, you will be on latrine duty until you’re a General.” She threatened.

Shiro beamed a charming smile as he took the keys. “Thanks, Sarge.” He didn’t wait for her reply before scampering to the door on the other side of the garage.

He grinned, holding up the keys as soon as he got to the hallway. Matt pumped his fist in the air, whooping loudly. “Sweet! I gotta grab my present for Keith. You go get him, we’ll meet back in the garage.” Matt called, already rushing down the hallway.

Shiro was still smiling when he got to Keith’s room and knocked loudly twice. Keith opened the door, smiling back when he saw it was Shiro. He tilted his head a little at the keys Shiro held up. “I checked out the 8600 until curfew. Matt’s grabbing uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck, “provisions, let’s say.”

Keith’s eyes widened in disbelief before he threw his arms around Shiro’s waist and squeezed him in a tight hug. “This is the best birthday ever.” He mumbled into Shiro’s shirt.

Face heating up again, Shiro laughed as he returned the hug, just a little too long. It always amazed him how strong Keith was. “Just wait until you get to drive it.” He said reverently.

Keith pulled back, his own face a little pink as well. “Gotta grab my jacket first!” He said with an excited smile.

They rushed back to the garage, where Matt was already waiting, leaning up against Shiro’s bike. “There he is! The man of the hour!” Matt called, walking up to give Keith a high five. He slung his backpack off his shoulder after their hands met. “And for our esteemed birthday boy, I giveth thee: Fire.” He opened the bag to reveal a frankly irresponsible amount of fireworks.

Keith’s eyes lit up like a kid in a candy shop. “Definitely the best birthday ever.” He said.

Shiro tossed Keith his keys before heading over to the newer model that he’d checked out. “Race ya?” He teased, flipping down his helmet.

Keith scoffed. “You’re on! Come on, Matt!” He called, jumping onto Shiro’s bike without bothering with a helmet.

Matt clipped his own helmet on uneasily. “Ok, racing? Really? Must we, children?” He gripped Keith’s shoulders tightly.

“Yup.” Keith said with a smirk over his shoulder, revving the engine once before careening out of the garage, Shiro hot on his heels.

The race was hardly fair, the bike Keith was on was an old model and Shiro’s was top of the line. He briefly considered letting Keith win because it was his birthday, but decided against it. It was still close and Shiro laughed as he realized that Keith probably would have won without Matt flailing.

“Dry land!” Matt called as he hopped off, tossing his helmet to the ground. Shiro and Keith rolled their eyes at him.

Shiro turned to Keith and patted him on the back. “That was some good flying.” He said with a smile.

Keith smiled back. “Next time we’ll have to go without Matt trying to climb my head.”

Shiro held the keys out to him. “Go nuts. Just be careful, Sarge’ll have my head if we bring it back in less than mint condition.” He took the helmet that was under his arm and plopped it onto Keith’s head. Keith rolled his eyes again as he took the keys. It wasn’t that long ago that Shiro’s helmet would have had no chance of fitting on his head. Now he only needed to tighten it a little bit.

Shiro and Matt cheered him on as he pushed the bike as hard as it would go in the flat, seemingly endless desert. Keith spent over an hour just seeing how fast he maneuver, how good the handling was, how high he could get the bike to jump using the small dunes as ramps.

Shiro watched breathlessly, watching Keith fly had always been incredible to him, but he was still reeling from how much Keith had grown while he was away for a few weeks on a training mission. He’d been back for over a month, but he still found it hard to look at Keith now. Or rather, he found it far too easy to look at Keith, he was a near-constant distraction.

“Hey, are you done ogling? I’m bored and I wanna blow some stuff up.” Matt elbowed him hard in the arm.

Shiro rubbed it and glared. “Ask Keith, it’s his birthday.” He grumbled.

Matt cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey nerd! Come light stuff on fire!” He yelled. Keith had no idea what he said, of course, but he heard Matt yelling, so he turned the bike back towards the shady spot under the outcropping and zipped their way. “He’s uh, is he going a little fast?” Matt asked nervously.

Shiro grimaced. “It’s probably fine. It’s Keith.” He reassured. Matt or himself, he wasn’t sure.

Keith slid to a stop well clear of the rocks, and Shiro breathed a sigh of relief. He was still grinning from ear to ear as he pulled Shiro’s helmet off. “That was awesome.” He said, a little out of breath.

Shiro smiled fondly at him as he took the helmet. Their fingers brushed and Shiro almost dropped it. Matt rolled his eyes. “Anyway, fireworks?” He asked, impatiently.

“Yes!” Keith agreed, turning to dig in the bag with Matt. They pulled out two roman candles each.

Sighing, Shiro grabbed two for himself from the bag. Matt pulled out an unnecessarily large lighter that was shaped like a miniature blowtorch and held it up towards Keith’s first candle. “I never say this, but aim away from the face.” Matt cautioned with a shit-eating grin.

Shiro and Keith cringed as they laughed at Matt’s awful joke, and Keith held his candle high. They all watched as the bright lights exploded from the end of the candle and landed far off into the desert. Matt did his own next, and then Shiro’s. They went in the same order for the second round.

As Shiro’s second candle was going off, Keith leaned down to dig through Matt’s bag for more fireworks. Shiro turned his head, distracted by the way Keith’s sweaty shirt rode up just the slightest bit, revealing a tantalizing strip of skin just above the hem of his pants. “Shiro! Down!” Matt warned. They all looked up and covered their heads as Shiro pulled his arm down just a fraction of a second too late.

The last flash of light slammed into the rocks above, causing a small rockslide, thankfully just out of range of any of them. Less thankfully, several large rocks slammed into the side of the brand new bike, scuffing and dinging the shiny chrome finish. Shiro and Keith stared in disbelief as Matt grimaced. “Ooohh… tragic.” He said, entirely unsympathetically.  

Shiro groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Sarge is gonna kill me.”

Keith let out a harsh breath. “What happened?” He asked, turning away from the wreckage to look at Shiro.

“I uh,” Shiro stammered. “I don’t know, I thought it would be a cool arc. Misjudged it.” His face practically glowed red.

Matt rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure” he muttered.

Keith walked over to the bike and ran his hand across the scuffs. “We can probably buff most of these out.” He said, brows furrowed in concentration. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and started cleaning away the scuff-marks as well as he could. Pulling at his shirt resulted in exposing most of his lower back and part of his side.

Shiro swallowed hard as he tried to make his mouth work. Matt shook his head and mouthed  _really_? Shiro cleared his throat. “It’s fine. I’ll fix it, Keith, don’t worry. It’s your birthday.” He tried to walk over to the bike, but tripped on one of the rocks and landed on his stomach in the dirt.

“Shiro! Are you ok?” Keith asked, running up to Shiro’s prone form.

Shiro groaned. “I’m fine. Just leave me. I need a minute.” He pounded his head lightly into the ground.

Matt rolled his eyes. “Guys, let’s just bust into supply when they close and steal some spray paint. Problem solved.”

Keith was still kneeling by Shiro in concern, but he looked up at Matt. “Isn’t it hard to get into?”

Matt scoffed. “Only if you take your shirt off, apparently.” He mumbled.

“What?” Keith asked.

“Only if you’re not as good as me.” Matt amended with an innocent smile.

Keith nodded and patted Shiro’s back. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure the bike gets fixed.”

Shiro sighed and held up a hand, giving a thumbs up as he laid there.


	12. Day 14: Alternate Reality

Matt knew something was off the moment he woke up. It was 8am on a Saturday and he could hear people in the living room. Normally Shiro woke with the sun and he and Keith would have long been in the sims training or out wandering around in the desert by then. He pulled on his shirt and sweatpants and walked out of his room suspiciously. “What are you guys doing here?” He mumbled, stumbling his way to the kitchen and the promise of coffee.

“Just taking a break. Playing some COD.” Shiro answered, not looking up from the screen. Matt grabbed a cup off the counter and blew into it. It didn’t look dirty and he was too tired to raise his hand above his head to get one he knew for sure was clean. Pouring a generous cupful, he decided to forgo milk or sugar, he was too tired to taste anything, anyway.

Once properly caffeinated, he was even more suspicious of the pair in front of the TV. Keith and Shiro were sitting on the couch a completely normal distance apart; their knees weren’t jostling into each other and there was daylight between their shoulders. They were playing some random shooter that Matt didn’t care about and neither of them was standing or even sitting at the edge of his sheet, barking out enemy locations or strategies for the level. “Why are you being weird?” He asked as he set up his homework at the table.

Keith looked over at him. “We’re just sitting here.” His tone was slightly-offended.

Matt grumbled as he watched them. Normally it was annoying because they wouldn’t stop  _helping_  each other and  _complementing_ each other, but right then it was annoying that they  _weren’t_. Matt didn’t really know how to feel about that.

It took about an hour for him to break. “Jesus! Will one of you yell about something? Or, or, I don’t know! Shiro’s shirt is absurdly tight, as usual, Keith, spill something about it!” He demanded, slamming his hands on the table.

Shiro and Keith looked at each other and then back at Matt like he’d grown a second head. “Are you ok, man? Do you need to go to the infirmary?” Shiro asked cautiously.

Matt scoffed and started throwing his things back into his backpack. “No I don’t need to go to the infirmary. I need to go to the library. Or better yet, back to my own dimension since I apparently woke up in Bizarro World today.” He grumbled. Grabbing another cup of coffee, he stalked out the door still mumbling under his breath about alternate realities.

Shiro and Keith both bursted into giggles as the door slid closed behind him. “Oh man, I almost lost it when he didn’t open the cabinet!” Shiro cackled, holding his sides.

“He’s gonna be so mad when he gets home and sees it.” Keith agreed, laughing on the cushions next to Shiro.

“I can’t believe he didn’t put milk in his coffee! He always puts milk in his coffee!” Shiro said, shaking his head.

Keith wiped his watering eyes. “Don’t worry, he’ll get hungry eventually.” He reassured.

..

Matt came back from the library a few hours later, absolutely starving. Bizarro Shiro and Bizarro Keith were still sitting on the couch. It was unsettling, he’d never known either of them was capable of sitting still for more than 10 minutes and they must have been there for hours. At least they had scooted awkwardly close together while he was gone. It felt a little more normal.

“Hey! How was studying?” Shiro called with a smile.

Matt glared. “Fine. I’m done with all my homework.” He said, looking around the room. “What did you do?” He asked. “If there’s a cutout of Jeff Goldblum in the shower again, I swear to God…”

Shiro scoffed. “Come on, you know I ripped that awful thing in half.” He waved a hand in the air dismissively.

Matt double checked just to be sure. He also checked his own bedroom, but nothing was amiss. “What did you do to the kitchen?” He asked, still glaring.

Keith frowned and turned towards Matt as he finished the level he and Shiro were on. “Seriously, are you ok? You’re really paranoid today.” He sounded genuinely concerned.

Matt sighed. “Ok, ok fine. Maybe you guys are just capable of not being weird for a day. It’s fine.” He tried to reassure himself as he walked into the kitchen for a drink.

Shiro and Keith couldn’t help the smiles that spread across their faces as they shared a private look. Matt opened the door to the fridge and jumped back in surprise, tripping and landing on his backside. “God damn it, Shiro! I’m burning this thing!” He shrieked, grabbing the Gollum cutout out of the fridge and throwing it across the room.

They broke out into fits of laughter as Matt grumpily pulled out the orange juice. He opened the cabinet and groaned in horror. The first row of cups had been replaced with solo cups and partially filled with glitter. A string had been taped to the far side of the cabinet and to the handle side of the door. As soon as Matt opened the door, they all spilled down, completely covering him.

They had both fallen off the couch at this point, rolling around on the ground as they laughed. Matt took a deep breath and closed the cabinet calmly. Shiro stood up as Matt made a mad dash for Shiro’s bedroom. Flinging open the door, Matt jumped the short distance into Shiro’s bed before Shiro could catch up to him. He rubbed as much of the glitter off of himself and onto Shiro’s blanket and pillow as he could before Shiro hauled him off.

Keith grimaced as he followed more slowly behind them. “Oh don’t worry, Kogane, you’re next!” Keith’s eyes widened at Matt’s threat and he turned around to sprint out the door.


	13. Day 15: Habits

Every Wednesday at 12:30, almost on the dot, Shiro and Keith ate lunch together on top of the roof of the junior officers’ quarters. Technically, it wasn’t allowed, but the area wasn’t well patrolled and it had the best view of the surrounding mountains and open desert out of the whole Garrison.

Shiro wasn’t sure when it started- it felt like they’d been doing it every week since he’d first convinced Keith to enroll, years ago. He couldn’t recall a single time either of them had missed it, barring the few weeks every year Shiro was pulled away for training missions or recruitment. He checked his watch as he started eating, 12:35. It wasn’t like Keith to be late.  

Minutes ticked by as Shiro ate alone on the roof. The shimmering desert that normally seemed so beautiful didn’t hold quite the same allure. He pulled his phone out and opened his thread with Keith. They’d never actually talked about it- this habit of theirs. It just sort of happened. Shiro wondered if it had just been a coincidence all this time.

At 12:45 the door banged open. Keith’s frown faded into a smile as he tossed his lunch onto the cement next to Shiro. “Sorry I’m late, some kid from cargo wouldn’t leave me alone.” He explained briefly, digging into his sandwich with fervor.

Shiro laughed. “It’s fine.” He said with a relieved smile. “I knew you wouldn’t miss Wednesday lunch.” It wasn’t the bravest way he could have asked if it was  _a thing_ , he knew.

Keith swallowed the bite that had been just a bit too big for his mouth with a grin. “Highlight of my week.”

Looking back out into the desert, the colors seemed just a little more vibrant than they had before. “Yeah, mine too.” His face tinged with blush. “So how’s orbital mechanics?” He asked, rapidly changing the subject back to familiar territory.

Keith shook his head. “Montgomery’s a hardass, just like you said.” He took a much smaller bite that time. “I still don’t know what an epsilon angle is supposed to be.” If it had been anyone else, Shiro probably would have grimaced at the way he talked with his mouth full, but Keith doing it was somehow different.

Chuckling, Shiro nodded. “I’ll dig up my old notes and help you study this weekend. We’ll get you back on track.” He promised.

Keith’s answering smile caused a familiar flutter in his stomach. “Thanks, Shiro.” He couldn’t help but notice the way the bright sunlight overhead brought a purple shine to Keith’s deep blue eyes.

Mouth suddenly dry, Shiro took a drink from his water bottle. “Yeah, no problem.”


	14. Day 16: Error

“If we die, I’m haunting both of you.” Matt grumbled, massaging his rapidly swelling ankle. **  
**

Keith looked away from the cliff face to raise an eyebrow in Matt’s direction. “If we all die how will you haunt us? Can a ghost haunt another ghost?”

Shiro groaned under his breath. “Ghosts aren’t real, and we aren’t dying. We’re gonna be fine.” He assured, trying hard to keep both of them calm.

“Right.” Keith agreed without hesitation.

Matt hummed to himself and continued sarcastically, “I can just see the headline now: Two astronaut candidates and local cadet killed in world’s dumbest and yet somehow still tragic climbing accident. Galaxy Garrison forever shamed,” swiping a hand out in front of himself as he pretended to read the words dramatically.

Shiro rolled his eyes. “We didn’t have a tragic accident, we… made a minor error.” He argued.

Matt scoffed. “What’s this “we” business? I said, and I quote, hey guys, I don’t think that ledge is stable. And guess what? It wasn’t!”

Sighing, Shiro looked back up the cliff and tightened his harness. “Ok, fine. You can be right, but be quiet about it.” Matt huffed indignantly at the non-apology as Shiro continued, turning towards Keith. “I’m gonna climb up and lower a rope down. You stay with Matt.” He decided, turning towards Keith.

Keith furrowed his brows, looking between Shiro and the rocks. “I don’t know,” he murmured, walking up to the wall and grabbing a few spots. “You might be too heavy to go without a belayer. Rocks’ll come loose.”

Shiro’s hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to look. “Do you think you can make it with all the rope?” He asked, concern written all over his face.

Keith nodded determinedly. “Matt can’t do it with his stubbed toe or whatever, I’ll be fine.” He answered with a smirk.

Matt tossed a loose pebble at Keith’s back and shouted, “My ankle is the size of a grapefruit!”

Keith grinned innocently as Shiro shook his head and laughed. “Alright, just be careful.” He finally agreed, handing the rope over.

Keith nodded again and looped the rope over his shoulders, climbing up the wall with a practiced fluidity that had Shiro captivated. “Wow… look at him go.” He whispered mostly to himself as Keith climbed.

Matt groaned. “I’m telling him you stared at his butt the whole time.”

Shiro turned with wide eyes and saw the evil smile on Matt’s face. “Do you want me to leave you down here?” He asked, blushing furiously and crossing his arms.

Keith made it to the top with ease and hammered in the anchor before tossing the rope down. Shiro and Matt worked out an awkward clipped-in piggy back system before attaching the rope to both of their harnesses. Keith had to strain and catch them a few times as the loose rocks slid away. They clambered to the top and Shiro shrugged off his harness, Matt and all, breathing hard.

“Nice job, Keith.” He panted out.

Keith grinned and leaned down, helping Matt out of the tangle of ropes and harness before helping him stand up on his good leg. “Yeah, thanks. Who knew you were secretly crazy-wicked strong?” Matt asked with a laugh, looking pointedly down at Shiro.

Keith shrugged before following Matt’s gaze down to Shiro’s face. “Shiro are you ok? Did you hurt yourself?”

Shiro shook his head and pulled out a bottle of water. “I’m fine, I’m good.” He assured.

“But your face is so red…” Keith protested.

Matt smirked. “Yeah, Shiro. Why is your face so red? Do you need some more water? Feeling a little thirsty maybe?” Matt suggested, coy tone at odds with his innocent smile.

Shiro cleared his throat and stood up. “Maybe you just need to lay off the mac and cheese, Matt.” He grumbled, dusting his pants off.

Matt gasped, affronted, and Shiro shook his head, glaring at Matt before taking point.

“Come on, we gotta get back to the bikes before dark.” Keith interrupted before Matt could defend himself.  

 

 


	15. Day 17: Sacrifice

Keith looked up from his desk in shock as his door flew open. “Smith, get out.” Matt demanded. **  
**

Smith looked up from his desk as well, but more in outrage than surprise. “What? This is my room!” He shouted back.

Matt rolled his eyes and pointed to his shoulder. “Cool story, I’m a Second Lieutenant. Get out.” He challenged. Smith grumbled to himself and shook his head at Keith, grabbing his books and stuffing them into his backpack. “Bye, now.” Matt called with mocking sweetness as Keith’s roommate stormed out.

Keith sighed. “I hate it when you do that.” He said, crossing his arms.

Matt shrugged. “Shiro’s watching Pacific Rim Uprising again because he’s sick.” Keith cringed. “It’s the  _fourth_  time this week. It’s  _Tuesday_.” Matt’s hands were balled tightly into fists at his side. “He won’t even put the original on in between.” He was pretending sob dramatically.  

Keith calmly slid his book into his bag and hefted it over his shoulder. He patted Matt once on the chest as he headed for the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll take this one for the team.” Keith reassured him.

He headed down to the junior officers’ quarters and knocked lightly at Shiro and Matt’s room. Shiro answered a moment later and smiled wide as he opened the door. “Hey, Keith, what’s up?” His normally fluffy and soft brown hair was practically matted to his forehead and looked almost black from sweat.

“You, and you shouldn’t be.” Keith replied, pushing lightly at Shiro’s chest. “Get back on the couch.”

Shiro coughed loudly into his hand. “You knocked!” He protested. “What was I supposed to do?” He sniffled.

Keith chuckled and helped him settle back onto the couch. “Fair.” He covered Shiro with a blanket and moved the coffee table closer. He gestured to the bottle of pills sitting on it. “When’s the last time you took those?” He asked, grabbing Shiro’s cup to fill it with more water.

“Couple hours?” Shiro answered groggily.

Keith grabbed another cup and filled it with orange juice. “Ok, 2 more. We can watch Uprising again, but only if you take a nap right after.” He sat back down on the couch and handed Shiro the juice and the pills. Shiro swallowed them with a grimace and downed the rest of the juice.

Keith handed him the water and patted his back as he coughed. “Thanks, Keith.” He said with a weak smile.

“Sure thing, buddy.” Keith answered. Shiro was asleep against his shoulder before they got past the title screen.


	16. Day 19: Ninja

Not that Shiro had ever been  _small_  in the time Keith had known him, but he’d come back from a month-long training mission absolutely  _huge_. It made sense- astronauts had to be at the top of their game, mentally and physically. Keith wasn’t the only one that had noticed.

Matt had taken to calling the gaggle of hormonal junior cadets that followed Shiro around like lost puppies  _the league of evil ninja assassins_. Keith preferred  _annoying brats_  but he wasn’t that concerned about what they were calling them so long as they stayed away from Shiro. They took turns shooing the cadets away as Shiro became increasingly more flustered at the attention.

Keith growled in frustration. “Get lost! Shiro has a big sim next week, he needs to practice!” He waved his hands in front of himself as he warred internally with whether or not to start bodily throwing them out of the over-crowded sim.

“God, Kogane, we just want to see him fly!” A snotty second year whined.

Shiro laughed. “Sorry guys, Keith is right.” He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, an embarrassed grin on his face. “But you’re all more than welcome to watch up on the observation deck.”

At Shiro’s direction, all of the cadets dejectedly filed out of the simulator with various mumbles and groans. Keith went to follow once he was sure they were all leaving. “Wait, Keith,” Shiro said, turning around with a chuckle, “I didn’t mean you. I might need your help.”

Keith blushed and closed the simulator door before going to sit down in the comm-spec chair. He slipped on his headset and turned to Shiro with a grin. “What do we got?” He asked with what he hoped was a confident smirk as his heart nearly pounded out of his chest.

Shiro grinned. “We’re practicing a pretty standard trip to Mars. Should be a milk-run right?” He asked, holding out his fist to the side.

Keith knocked his own against it gently. “Definitely.”  

..

An hour and a half later, they’d finally finished the mission. High fiving, they stood up from their seats and headed to the door. “I’m starving, commissary?” Shiro asked with a hopeful smile.

  
Keith nodded. “Don’t even care if it’s beef stroganoff today, I’m getting seconds.” He agreed with a laugh.

Shiro hit the release on the door and gestured for Keith to head out first. “You can say that again.”

They laughed together as they walked, Keith suspiciously glancing behind and beside them every few paces. Matt somersaulted badly out of a door just as they walked past, humming the Mission Impossible theme song obnoxiously loudly while carrying an unreasonably large nerf gun. “Matt what are you-?” Shiro didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence.

 _The league of evil ninja assassins_  rounded the opposite corner and Matt started firing at them indiscriminately. They squealed in protest. “Save yourselves. I’ll hold them off.” He lowered his voice dramatically and made it far more gravelly than it needed to be.

Keith laughed and grabbed Shiro’s wrist. “Come on!” He said with a grin, long legs already dragging Shiro down the hallway.   


	17. Day 20: Simulation

Shiro paces when he’s nervous. He’s done it ever since Matt’s known him. Normally, it wouldn’t bother Matt so much, but he was stuck on the couch with a broken leg and no homework left to do and nothing on TV and Shiro wouldn’t stop pacing. **  
**

“Shiro, buddy, you have to sit down. For like 3 minutes. Please.” Matt practically begged.

He looked up from the imaginary path he’d been wandering as Matt called out to him. “Oh. Sorry. It’s just,” Shiro chuckled uncomfortably, moving to sit down on the opposite end of the couch.

Matt sighed. “You’re freaking out for no reason, it’s gonna be fine.” His leg was sore and itchy and it gave him a lot less patience than he normally had for his best friend’s antics. “What do you usually do when you’re nervous about a big simulation?”

Shiro tutted a little. “I mean, I practice I guess.” Looking over at Matt with a grimace he opened and closed his mouth a few times. “We are not role playing this.”

“Agreed,” Matt deadpanned. “You don’t need more practice. The three of us have gone into town together like a million times. You’ve already practiced. You’re just moving up a class, or whatever.” He groused, rubbing the inside of his cast with a pen.

Shiro stood up and took a deep breath. “You’re right. It’s fine. It’ll be fine.”

..

It wasn’t exactly fine. Shiro had started the outing by walking past Keith’s room accidentally, twice, and then practically shouting his greeting when Keith opened the door. Mercifully, if Keith noticed Shiro’s odd behavior, he didn’t say anything about it.

They walked in companionable silence down to the garage and stopped in front of Shiro’s bike. “Hey, why don’t you drive today.” Shiro suggested, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

Keith’s eyes lit up and he hopped on the bike excitedly, reaching for the keys. Shiro promptly dropped them on the ground. “Are you ok?” Keith asked, concern clear on his face.

Shiro laughed nervously and picked them up, making sure Keith had a grip on them before letting go. “Yeah, it’s just one of those days, you know?” He said unconvincingly as he hopped on behind Keith.

He settled his hands on Keith’s hips, like he’d done a thousand times before, and tried to breathe normally as Keith kicked the bike into gear. The trip into town took 30 minutes if Shiro was driving, but Keith always managed it in 20. The wind whipping past Shiro’s face took a little bit of the edge off of his nerves, but they returned in full force as they stopped in front of the normal corner store. The mission was simple: junk food, comic books, and the $5 movie bin for the weekend’s entertainment. Shiro had already tripped and almost knocked over a stand full of pay-as-you-go phones, earning him another worried look from Keith. “Seriously, what’s wrong?” Keith asked, tossed another bag of twizzlers into their basket.

Shiro shook his head. “I’m fine. Just, you know there’s that sinus thing going around?” He tried to cover quickly, but Keith fixed him with a blank stare. “Weird, inner ear, thing.” He grumbled, picking up the latest Batman comic and tossing it into the basket as well.

Keith looked at him skeptically, but didn’t comment. Looking into their basket, he motioned over to the discount movie bin. “Ready to pick out the worst movie $5 can buy?” Keith asked with a grin, changing the subject.

They’d been doing this particular run every month for a long time now, and actually already owned most of the awful movies in the bin. Shiro kept blushing as he picked up romcom after romcom, imagining watching them with Keith. He was shaken out of his thoughts by Keith holding up an absolute gem. “Atlantic Rim!” He half-shouted with glee. “Heard rumors about it before, but…”

Shiro laughed and took the box from him. The description sounded hilariously bad, and not at all romantic. It would be perfect. He tossed it in the basket and looked around the store. “Any last minute provisions to get us through to next month?”

Keith frowned and grabbed a few more bags of candy. “Nope, all set.” He declared triumphantly. They brought their findings to the cashier and split the bill two ways; both of them still felt bad about Matt’s injury from their ill-fated rock climbing adventure the week before, so they didn’t make him pay his share.

The trip home wasn’t very eventful, but Shiro enjoyed the cool rush of air again as it swept his hair away from his face. He elected to hold onto Keith’s shoulders so he could balance the bag on his back easier as they rode, and partially so he could sit farther back on the bike- away from the warmth emanating from Keith’s body.

Pulling into the garage, they both hopped off the bike. Shiro pulled their shopping bags from his backpack and clipped it back into the storage compartment wordlessly. As they made their way through the halls, conversation came a little easier for Shiro, now that the harrowing journey was almost finished.

They got to the split in the hallway between the senior cadets’ barracks and the junior officers’ quarters and paused uncomfortably for a moment. “Thanks for letting me drive today.” Keith said with a shy grin.

Shiro smiled back at him. “Yeah, sure thing. You’re getting really good.” He answered breathlessly.

Keith nodded. “My teacher’s ok, I guess.” He replied fondly. Shiro chuckled and looked up and down the hall. Keith took a half step forward and reach towards Shiro and it felt like the world had stopped spinning.

Shiro met him halfway and pulled him into a tight hug, making sure their shopping bags didn’t hit him in the back. Keith cleared his throat and stood back after a long moment. “Uh, thanks.” He licked his lips and furrowed his brows. “Can I,” Shiro’s heart was hammering away as Keith spoke, “you still have my bag.” He mumbled out, blushing.

Shiro’s eyes widened and he stretched his hand out wordlessly. “Yeah, uh, sorry.” Shiro stammered.

Keith took the bag with a forced smile, face beet red. “See ya tomorrow.” He rushed out, turning on his heels and walking very quickly back to his own room.  

..

Shiro walked back into his room with a long-suffering sigh. “So it went that well, huh?” Matt called, still sitting on the couch. Shiro tossed a bag of twizzlers at him from the kitchen, narrowly missing his head. “Hey! Watch the leg!” Matt groused.

“I wasn’t aiming for you leg.” Shiro muttered under his breath. He tossed the perishables and sodas they’d snagged into the fridge and sat down next to Matt in a huff.

“So are you going to tell me what happened, or just keep trying to add a concussion to my list of injuries that your hubris has caused?” Matt glared at him as he opened the bag of twizzlers.

Shiro sighed. “I’ve apologized a thousand times and I physically carried you to class this morning, what more do you want?” He leaned his head back up against the cushions and groaned.

Matt nudged him with his good leg. “I was just kidding, man. What’s wrong?”

Shiro threw his elbow over his eyes. “I hugged him. He was reaching for a bag and I hugged him.”

Matt cringed and audibly hissed through his teeth. “I’m sure it wasn’t that weird, you guys hug sometimes.”

“It was super weird. He literally ran away.” Shiro moaned miserably.

“Oooohhh that’s rough buddy.”


	18. Day 21: Coping

Matt’s idea of coping with finals was to lock himself in his bedroom and turn off his phone, forbidding any human contact whatsoever until he was sure he’d get top marks in everything. Shiro however, didn’t believe in cramming for exams. He’d studied all he was going to and was confident in his ability to pass all of his tests and simulations with flying colors, no matter what his pounding heart told him. **  
**

No, he didn’t need to sequester himself away and study until he passed out on his books, he needed a distraction. The bottle of cheap whiskey hidden under his bed was calling his name, but so was a certain blue-eyed cadet that he couldn’t seem to get off of his mind of late. Stuffing the bottle into his backpack, he headed out down the hall with the intent to sate both urges.

He knocked on Keith’s door, trying to hold back a smirk. Keith’s roommate tossed it open, bags under his eyes and several coffee stains on his uniform shirt. “Ugh, Keith, it’s for you,” the cadet called, slumping back to his desk filled to the brim with papers and books.

Keith pulled his headphones off and turned towards the door, smiling when he saw Shiro. “Figured you’d be studying.” Keith said by way of greeting.

“I’m taking a break. Any chance you’d be up for one, too?” Shiro asked hopefully, eyes darting down the hall.

Keith pulled on his shoes with a grin and followed Shiro to the familiar  _authorized access only_  door that led to the roof of the junior officers’ quarters. Instead of their normal spot right in the middle near the railing, Shiro gently tugged Keith’s sleeve to lead him around to the other side- where they’d be hidden from anyone coming up the stairs.

Shiro pulled the bottle out of his backpack with a wry grin and Keith gasped melodramatically. “Golden boy breaking the rules?” He brought both hands up to his mouth, pretending to be scandalized by the sight.

Shaking his head, Shiro pulled the top off and took a healthy swig of the amber liquid, grimacing as it burned his throat. “We all need to loosen up sometimes. What the brass doesn’t know won’t hurt them.” He said with a wink, handing the bottle to Keith.

Keith took a swig of his own, coughing and wiping a sleeve across his mouth as he handed the bottle back. “No Matt?”

Shiro waved a hand dismissively. “No, he’s really hung up on studying every single second until exams start.” He rolled his eyes and took another drink.

“Lame!” Keith declared, gesturing for the bottle again.

They chatted away half the bottle, grousing about tests and teachers and unfair simulations. Their conversation took a turn to the stars, as many of their conversations did. Shiro gestured up to the full moon, shining brightly above them. “It’s so… beautiful. I can’t wait to see it for myself.” Shiro murmured in awe, cheeks pink from the whiskey.

Keith smiled at him, bumping their elbows together. “Why stop there?” He asked with a cheeky grin, swiping the bottle back and taking another drink. The burn didn’t have him coughing or sputtering anymore.

Shiro turned to him with a chuckle. “What do you mean?”

Keith tilted his head to the side, his lips turned up in a tipsy grin. “Moon’s been done. You can do better.”

Shiro licked his lips and took a small step closer. “You think so?” He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Taking a step closer still with a death grip around the neck of bottle, Keith tilted his chin up. “I know so,” he answered just as quietly, eyes darting down to Shiro’s mouth before meeting his gaze again.

Shiro ducked his head, emboldened by the liquid courage and Keith’s signals, and pressed his lips to Keith’s with just a bit too much force. Neither of them were at all bothered by the way their teeth clacked together or how the last of the whiskey dribbled from the bottle onto the rooftop as it slipped from Keith’s grasp, the plastic bouncing between their feet.

Keith gripped the front of Shiro’s uniform, holding him close as their mouths moved against each other. Shiro wrapped one arm around Keith’s waist while his other hand carded desperately through Keith’s hair. They broke apart for air and rested their foreheads against each other. Keith bumped his nose into Shiro’s. “I’ve been trying to get you to do that for weeks.” He said with a chuckle.

Shiro closed his eyes and sighed. “I know, I know.” He opened them again and pulled back just enough to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Keith’s ear. “I just had to be sure.”

Keith laughed and tilted his chin up again. “Well you’re sure now.”

Shiro didn’t answer with words; instead, he leaned down to kiss Keith again.


	19. Day 22: Parents

Keith sounded like he was nearly in tears when he’d called Shiro and begged him to meet up on the roof. It had set off every alarm in Shiro’s brain and he raced to the stairs as fast as he could to see what was the matter. Keith was holding something bundled up in his jacket when Shiro came bursting onto the rooftop. **  
**

“I got here as soon as I could. Are you ok?” Shiro asked, slightly out of breath, as he walked over to check on Keith.

Keith frowned through determined, watery eyes. “I saw some cadets messing with something in the yard and chased them off, and…” he trailed off, opening the bundle a little further so Shiro could peer inside.

“Is that… is that a chinchilla?” Shiro asked incredulously.

Keith nodded. “His leg is broken or hurt or something. I tried to help.” He cringed. “If I let him go, he’s gonna get eaten.”

Shiro looked at the small fluffy ball and sighed. “Well I guess we have a chinchilla now.” He said with a laugh, running a finger what he hoped was soothingly across the terrified animal’s back. “Let’s take him back to my room, I’m sure Matt has a terrarium or something we can put him in while he heals up.”

Matt didn’t have a terrarium big enough, so Shiro found himself sneaking into supply for a large, clear tote that he spent most of the rest of the afternoon cutting air holes in. Filling the makeshift cage with soft blankets (also pinched from supply), Keith finally let go of it long enough for Shiro to check the extent of the injury. It looked perfectly fine, but Shiro assured him that he’d take extra care to make sure it would get better before sending Keith back to his room for the night.

As soon as Keith left, Shiro searched  _how to take care of a chinchilla_  on his computer, not noticing Matt leaning up against the door-frame. “So uh, you guys have fun today?” Matt asked, startling Shiro into slamming the lid closed on his laptop.

“Yes. It was… fine. We had a day.” He stammered. “A good day.” He coughed into his hand.

Matt shook his head and laughed, walking over to peer inside the tote. “So, I’d just like to point out, that you are now co-parenting a small mammal with Keith.”

“It’s just until his leg is better.” Shiro murmured, not meeting Matt’s eyes.

Sighing and wiggling a finger down into the tote for it to paw at, Matt smacked his lips together. “Shiro, chinchillas don’t live in Arizona. This is someone’s illegal pet. That you stole. With Keith.” He looked up to see Shiro’s wide, terrified eyes. “You can’t set this thing free in the desert, it doesn’t go here.”


	20. Day 23: Zodiac

It is said that only the dead have seen the end of war. **  
**

It was almost an enviable position, Keith mused as he took in the all-too-familiar face smiling back at him from the poster. A lifetime felt like it wouldn’t have been long enough to pinpoint all of the follies that had led him there, to that moment. He brought a trembling hand up and closed his fingers around the paper. The handsome smile crumbled in his fist as he stalked down the hall.

Knocking was a courtesy for which Keith had no patience and of which he deemed the room’s sole occupant unworthy. He thundered inside like a hunter, assured that his quarry had no hope for escape. Slamming his fist down on the table, he snarled. “What the hell is this?”

The man stared up at Keith, calmly sipping on his mug of coffee before turning his gaze on the rumpled poster. “It seems pretty obvious to me.” He replied, unperturbed by Keith’s outburst.

His inscrutable expression terrified Keith as much as it further enraged him. “Take them down.” He demanded, voice breaking. “All of them.”

Setting his coffee down with a soft clink that seemed to echo in the charged silence, the man’s expression finally shifted into a mockery of an understanding smile. “Keith, I know you’re upset, but-”

Keith swiped an angry hand across the smooth surface of the desk, sending the mug sailing through the air only to meet an untimely end against the hard floor. “Why today?” He growled out, eyes narrowed and clenched fists trembling.

“What’s so special about today?” The calm, innocent answer made Keith briefly wonder if scrubbing the coffee stain out of the floor with the man’s smug smile would be worth the handful of demerits it would earn him.

Taking a shuddering breath in an effort to calm himself, Keith looked back at him with as much malice as he could pour into a single glare. “You know damn well what today is.” He challenged.

They were locked in a stalemate for a long moment. Keith heard only the blood rushing furiously past his ears. “Ok.” The unexpected reply came just before Keith broke. He stared in shock for a moment before clarification came. “I’ll take them all down.”

“Ok. Good.” He unclenched his fists and cleared his throat. “Thank you.” Walking out of the room much more sedately than he’d come in, he made sure to shut the door quietly behind him.

..

Going into Shiro’s room always made Keith’s heart hammer against his ribs like a wild animal intent on escaping a cage. He knew he didn’t need to knock, but his fist hovered in front of the door anyway on habit. It slid open and Keith jumped back. “I thought I heard you out here, come on in.” Shiro’s bright smile welcomed him into the room and he followed as if in a trance.

Staring at the poster proudly displayed in Shiro’s living room, Keith blinked in confusion. “Why is that here?” He balked.

Shiro laughed. “Turns out, the General thought it was hilarious.” He shook his head and ran his hand over his new epaulettes. “He said it was uh, inspiring that I had such a good rapport with the younger cadets.”

Keith shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe Matt’s bad memes got you promoted to an O3.” 

Shiro scoffed and turned around, mimicking the pose in the picture. “How is  _TAKASHI SHIROGANE: ZODIAC KILLER_  a bad meme?”


	21. Day 24: Fame

Shiro was used to being the Garrison’s Golden Boy. It was a little annoying, a little isolating, but mostly it suited him just fine. He knew how to be confident in his abilities without being arrogant and how to use his status for minor indulgences without being accused of being a diva (by anyone but Matt, at least). **  
**

Keith was always used to being the troublemaker, the discipline case, the odd man out. That suited him just fine as well. He did his best to stay out of trouble at the Garrison for Shiro’s sake. Keeping his head down, working hard in class and blowing off steam in the sims or the gym or out in the desert was a system that had taken time to perfect but Keith figured it out with only a few missteps along the way.

Yes, their roles suited both of them just fine… until the first time Keith broke one of Shiro’s records.

Keith hadn’t realized it at first; he never paid attention to anything but the objective in front of him while he was flying the sim. His score counter rose higher and higher, plainly visible to everyone on the observation deck, Shiro included.

Shiro didn’t notice that he’d leaned towards the display with clenched fists and wide eyes. “Come on, Keith. Come on,” was the quiet mantra he repeated under his breath as he stared in rapt attention. Everyone else on the deck was watching him, confused as to why he’d be excited to see someone break his hard-won record.

And Keith did. By a lot.

As soon as the “Simulation Ended” screen flashed, Shiro ran down the stairs, apologizing to some cadets he’d almost barreled over in his haste as an afterthought. He was a little out of breath from the sprint and from his excitement as the sim door opened and Keith stepped out.

Keith was taken aback as Shiro launched himself forward, pulling him into a tight hug. “Uh, hi?” He squeaked out, patting Shiro’s back awkwardly until he finally let go.

“Hi!?” Shiro nearly shouted with a laugh as he held Keith at arm’s length by the shoulders. “Keith, look! You did it!” He pointed at the display, showing Keith’s ID number in the top spot and Shiro’s in number two.

Keith’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. He turned back to Shiro and his look of astonishment turned into a look of uninhibited joy. “I did it!” He shouted back, throwing himself forward for another hug.

They held each other and laughed, neither of them remembering how to articulate a coherent thought as they celebrated. The murmurs started there in the observation deck, but soon they spread like wildfire. Every cadet, every officer, every instructor… they all knew Keith’s name now. And not for getting into a fight, not for talking back, not for having an unseemly number of demerits; For being the best.

Maybe the Garrison had room for two Golden Boys.


	22. Day 26: Nightmare

“This is a nightmare.” Matt groaned, threading his fingers through his hair. “ _You_ are a nightmare, Takashi Shirogane.” **  
**

Shiro looked up at him with a mixture of shock, hurt, and confusion. “How am I a nightmare?”

Matt glared. “Don’t give me those puppy eyes. You know you’re  _like this_.” He gestured to Shiro’s desk and then to his body.

“Like what?” He protested, cheeks flushing. “I just want to make sure Keith has a really great birthday.”

Matt half-sighed, half-moaned. “11 catalogs Shiro?  _Eleven_?” He stared in open amazement. “They’re  _gloves_ , Shiro.”

Shiro sighed and buried his face in his hands before looking up again. “I know, I just want him to have a good birthday.” He replied quietly.

Rolling his eyes and staring up at the ceiling, Matt swore under his breath. “Fine. Show me what you’re thinking so far.” He begrudgingly agreed.

..

In the end it took scouring all 11 catalogs, 3 trips into town, and another 2 weeks to pick out the perfect gloves. The night before Keith’s birthday, Shiro was at the kitchen table with a ruler, tape, and bright red wrapping paper. “Are you seriously measuring out the folds for that box?” Matt asked incredulously.

Shiro shushed him. “It has to be perfect, Matt. It’s for Keith.”

Matt sighed in exasperation. “God I can’t wait until you guys bang and we can be done with all of this nonsense.” He muttered, shutting the door to his bedroom just a little too hard.

..

Matt should have known. He really should have. Letting Shiro use his home office for “a surprise for Keith” should have set off warning bells immediately. “It’s been years,” he’d thought, “Surely Shiro won’t be like that after all this time.” Oh how wrong he’d been.

If picking out gloves had been a struggle, picking out an engagement ring was a task of herculean proportions that no mortal should ever have dared undertake. Matt’s beautiful mahogany desk was covered in too many catalogs to count from seemingly every jeweler in the tri-state area, and potentially a few from other planets.

“Shiro… why…” Matt’s voice broke as he shut the door quietly behind him. “Who even uses catalogs anymore? There are 3 computers in this room… Just get online!”

Shiro looked up with a frown. “I can’t compare as easily online, I need to see them next to each other.” He flipped through another page and marked it with a green sticky note.

Nearly every page in nearly every catalog had at least one note stuck to it. Matt turned and tapped his forehead against the door a few times. “Ok, fine. Let’s narrow this down…”

..

Keith said yes. Of course he did. Shiro could have asked him with a ring pop and Keith would have said yes. Matt cried as they were pronounced husband and husband, a little bit from joy for the happy couple, but mostly out of relief that he’d never have to help Shiro pick out anything else, for any reason, ever again. He was Keith’s nightmare now.


	23. Day 27: Sports

Most of the cadets and instructors go home for the holidays in the winter, but Keith wasn’t one of them. He didn’t dwell on the fact that he didn’t really have a home to go to, he made the best of making the Garrison his home. The only part that really bummed him out was the boredom. **  
**

He’d already finished all of his homework assigned over the break, and the simulator was down “until further notice” for maintenance, so things had started to get… weird. Gathering all his pens and pencils, he placed a coffee mug on his own desk and sat down across the room at his roommate’s desk. One by one, he started tossing the pens towards the cup, adjusting his position on the chair and the angle he threw with each miss.

Just as he finally managed to get one to go into the cup with an entirely too satisfying clink, he heard a knock at his door. Standing up quickly, he went to see who it could be, figuring anyone who’d want to see him would be long gone by now. “Oh, Shiro! I thought you went to Holt’s place?” Keith asked in surprise as he opened the door.

“They decided to do a family vacation to Italy, I didn’t want it to be weird.” Shiro answered with a laugh. “I uh, well the sim’s still down, so I thought maybe you’d wanna hang out…” He looked over at Keith’s desk and raised an eyebrow. “What’s with… all the pens?”

Keith blushed. “Uh, it’s just… a dumb game. Pen-cup.” He mumbled under his breath.

“So, you just… throw the pens at the cup?” Shiro asked, walking into the room.

Keith cleared his throat and shut the door behind him. “Well, I figured that would be too easy, so I’ve been sitting on Smith’s desk when I throw.”

Shiro’s eyes widened as he looked at the appreciable distance. “Nice!” He complimented, looking between both desks. “So… first to 10 wins?” He asked with a smirk.

Keith grinned. “I’ll get another cup.”

..

Keith jumped off of Smith’s desk and pumped his fist in the air. “Yes! Killed it!” He cried triumphantly.

Shiro grumbled at the loss for a just a moment before clapping Keith on the back. “You sure did! Maybe you should do weapons training with that killer aim.” He said with a laugh. Keith shook his head emphatically.

They both headed around the room picking up the dozens of pens that lay scattered on and around Keith’s desk. “So, do you wanna play again?” Keith asked, dreading the idea of Shiro going back to his own room.

“Or… we could head down to the hangar and I can you show you the greatest sport of all time.” Shiro said, waving a hand dramatically in the air. “Hangar-slide.”

Keith laughed in response. “A better sport than pen-cup? Believe it when I see it.” He challenged.

They headed down to the hangar and Shiro pointed at a line of worn tape on the floor, asking Keith to wait while he went and talked to the poor Second Lieutenant stuck on guard duty over the break. Walking back with a smug grin, Shiro sat down and pulled off his boots. “Ok, Keith, prepare for the most fun you’ve ever had in your life.”

He stood up and pointed down at the tape. “The game is simple. This is the slide line, you can run as far as you want before you get here, but you have to start sliding at or before the tape.” Gesturing down the hangar, he continued. “Whoever slides the farthest, wins the round. We can do best 2 out of 3, or 3 out of 5 if you want more practice.”

Keith furrowed his brows. “Do we take turns or go at the same time?” He asked, studied the distance between the hangar wall and the tape with interest as he took off his own boots.

“Same time.” Shiro declared after a quick moment’s thought.

Keith nodded. “3 out of 5, then.”

..

“Keith, you’re a dirty cheater!” Shiro accused with a laugh.

Keith flailed his arms in indignation. “What? How am I cheating?” He shouted back.

Shiro shook his head. “You took at least 3 steps after the tape line and you know it.”

Face flushing red, Keith crossed his arms. “You still kicked my butt, what does it matter?”

Shiro laughed and threw his arm around Keith’s shoulder. “You should always follow the rules, it’s the sportman’s way.” He chided jokingly. Keith rolled his eyes, sitting down to pull on his boots. “Well, now we need one more event.” Shiro said with a frown of concentration.

Keith looked up as he retied his laces. “Another event for what?”

Shiro blushed and rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward chuckle. “Christmalympics!” He answered, kicking at the hangar floor. “That’s… what I’ve been calling this in my head.”

Keith laughed and bit his lower lip as he smiled up at Shiro. “I love it. And I know just the thing for the tie-breaker.”  

..

“Short-sheeting? Is it amatuer hour?” Shiro asked with a cocky grin.

Keith scoffed. “Go back to un-alphabetizing the books, nerd.” He said derisively.

They turned back to their tasks: seeing who could prank which half of Matt’s room the best/worst. The winner was to be decided when Matt got back. Whoever he wanted to strangle more would be crowned the gold medal Christmalympics champion.

Keith had gotten the half of the room with Matt’s bed and tried some creative spins on old classics. First checking to make sure he had an extra pair of shoelaces, Keith made a few small nicks at the middle of the ones already on Matt’s boots, sitting in a scuffed pile next to the foot of the bed, so they’d snap when he pulled them taut. He stuffed the extras in to the toe of one of them.

He’d also run back to his own room to grab his roommate’s body spray, the one Matt had described as reeking of desperation and middle school locker rooms, and emptied nearly half the bottle over his sheets, comforter, and pillows. The pillow cases he folded up as small they would go and stuffed under the mattress, spraying that side as well.

Shiro had taken on the desk and closet. First he’d locked one wheel on the rolling chair so Matt wouldn’t be able to slide it. Next he’d put all of Matt’s socks and underwear into his desk drawers, and then booby trapped all three of them with random screws so they would only open a small amount before getting stuck. Finally, he sprayed two of Matt’s uniforms with hairspray so they’d turn a sickening, crunchy brown when he tried to iron them.

They smiled at their handiwork and decided on the final, joint prank. Shiro grabbed a roll of painter’s tape from supply and they made a dividing line down half of the room. It went across the entire thing, floor to ceiling. They’d purposely used small strips that were layered so Matt would have to tear them off one at a time.

..

Shiro and Keith sprinted from the room at the same time as they heard Matt’s guttural scream. “I’m gonna kill you assholes!” He threatened, stalking from his bedroom.

They hadn’t even bothered shutting the door in their haste. Matt knew most of their hiding spots, so they were scrambling trying to find somewhere to escape to. “Wait, Shiro,” Keith panted out as they rounded another corner, Matt not quiet gaining on them, but following steadily behind nonetheless. “Comms labs. Pilots never go to the comms lab.” He said as quietly as he could as they ran.

Shiro grinned and nodded, leading them quietly through a classroom that opened up into another hallway. They dove into the lab and slid under an unoccupied workbench, shielded from the door. “Good thinking, Keith.” Shiro said with a grin as he tried to catch his breath.

Keith smiled back. “Does this mean we’re technically still tied?” He asked with a quiet chuckle.

Shiro knocked their shoulders together. “Yeah, I guess it does.” He stuck his hand out for Keith to shake. “Looks like we’re both taking home the gold.”

 

 


	24. Day 28: Protect

Matt had seen Shiro do a lot of dumb things over the years- he wasn’t as cool as he pretended to be. He’d seen Shiro get stuck in more than one t-shirt that had allegedly shrunk in the wash, accidentally put ketchup into his coffee because he was too exhausted to function and then  _drink it anyway_ , and he’d watched Shiro hit his head on the sim door more times than he could count. **  
**

All of that paled in comparison to the second-hand embarrassment he inflicted upon Matt every single time he was around Keith.

Getting lunch in the commissary was supposed to be easy. Just a quick pop in, be disappointed, pop out affair. Matt found himself wishing that it were Wednesday instead of Thursday- then he wouldn’t have to deal with the pair of blushing nerds sitting across from him. They thought they were sneaky, eating lunch together on the roof on Wednesdays, but Matt knew.

They were complimenting each other again. It was almost too much to handle. “Yes, you’re both amazing pilots. We are Aware.” Matt grumbled, glaring at both of them as he poked at what was supposed to be mashed potatoes on his plate.

Shiro was about to defend himself, or more likely Keith, when he gasped in shock instead. Matt stared in disbelief, following Shiro’s horrified gaze to the cadets rough-housing as they walked by with their trays. A mostly-full glass of bright red fruit punch tipped over the edge of one tray, on a direct path to splattering the back of Keith’s uniform.

Keith’s already-inspected-for-the-week uniform.

Instead of allowing this minor inconvenience to befall his assuredly completely platonic best friend, Shiro stood quickly and practically wrapped himself around Keith’s back. The red drink splattered across Shiro’s jacket, leaving a bright stain.

Shiro’s platoon was scheduled for muster in 30 minutes.

The cadets apologized profusely as Shiro shrugged off his jacket with a frown. “That’s ok, guys, but please be more careful next time. I don’t wanna have to give you demerits!” They thanked him for being understanding and scurried off as Keith stared at Shiro’s exposed biceps in flagrant desire.

Matt was even further put off his mashed almost-certainly-not-actual-potatoes as he watched Keith and Shiro press napkins into the splash of red darkening the back of his gray uniform. “That was really cool of you, Shiro.” Keith murmured, cheeks coloring with blush yet again.

Shiro stopped scrubbing and smiled over at Keith with a shrug. “It was just instinct, everything happened so fast.” He dismissed with an awkward laugh. They turned and smiled at each other, hands barely an inch apart where they sat on Shiro’s jacket.

“I’m leaving.” Matt announced. Dropping his fork into the gray blob mocking him from his tray he stood up. “Try seltzer water.” He couldn’t help being helpful, his mother raised him right.

Keith smiled up with a much less adoring gaze, but no less appreciative, which was nice  _he supposed_. “Thanks, Matt.”   
  
Matt didn’t wait for Shiro to agree before heading off to drop off his tray.


	25. Day 29: Lies

“It’s nothing I wouldn’t do for any cadet that was struggling,” it’s not a lie the first time he says it, or if it is, it’s a lie that he believes in his soul. It might be a lie later, after a dozen trips to Iverson’s office, after countless sleepless nights in the library, after hours baking in the hot sun on the back of his bike when he knows he should be studying.

“We’re just friends,” Shiro knows it’s a lie but he says it with conviction. They never become more true, no matter how many times the words leave his lips. And they do- he says it a dozen times, maybe more. There’s nothing  _just_  about the kind of friends they are.

The first time Matt calls him a liar, Shiro almost agrees. He’s sure the look on his face gives it away. Matt’s a good friend, he just smiles and calls Shiro a dork- goes back to the book he’s reading. Shiro’s thankful.

Keith knows he’s a liar, but it’s a lie of omission every time. They don’t talk about it. They don’t have to. It can’t go anywhere, not while the uniform Keith wears is orange and Shiro’s is gray.

Shiro leaves but he comes back every time, and Keith is always waiting for him. He smiles and sits with Shiro in the infirmary and asks a thousand questions. Shiro’s always grateful for the company.

The stars call to him like a siren’s song and he’s helpless but to answer, no matter how many times he comes back with swollen limbs and worse vision. It happens to everyone, he’s not special, not singled out, it’s one of the drawbacks of extended time in zero G- humans just weren’t made for it.

Shiro’s mind is stronger than his body, but he’s always been weak when it comes to Keith. Keith’s soft smile and bright blue eyes and the way he only ever looks just a half a second before he leaps- it’s comfortable and familiar and it’s  _friendly_  but it’s so much more than that.  

Someday, he thinks, someday the stripes on their shoulders won’t matter. The only things that will matter will be the expanse of desert stretching out before them, the feel of the wind rushing past them, and the stars glinting above them. He won’t have to feel like a liar because there won’t be anything he has to omit. This last poorly kept secret between them won’t have to be a secret forever. Someday.


	26. Day 30: Feline

They named the chinchilla Churro. Keith had been adamant. Shiro had suggested Cinnamon, originally, but Keith’s eyes had lit up and when he whispered the word so reverently, Shiro was powerless but to agree. They’d done their best to find Churro’s rightful owner, but it wasn’t like he’d had a collar or anything, and he was technically contraband. **  
**

Luckily Matt’s middle name might as well have been contraband, so he and Shiro were locked in a battle of mutually assured destruction should he say anything about Shiro’s illegal pet.

They’d spent an absurd amount of money on a huge cage that was hidden from the door by a “clever” rearrangement of Shiro’s desk and bed. Matt knew that it was impossible to be sure that someone was a serial killer just by how their room looked, but it definitely gave off a certain vibe. He started locking his bedroom door at night just in case.

Matt had expected the initial glow of pet ownership to fade; for Shiro and Keith to get bored or overwhelmed with the responsibility, to take the little menace to the pet store in town with tears in their eyes, but they didn’t. They took turns playing with him and feeding him and cleaning out his cage. It was a little bit cute but Matt would rather die than admit it.

The true illustration of their dedication as Chinchilla Dads had come one fateful weekend when Keith had been struggling with a sim. It was a rare occurrence and Shiro, as always, was bound and determined to help. He asked Matt to look after Churro before they’d taken off for the day. Matt was not a good babysitter.

“Hey, little rat. You still alive?” Matt poked at the sleeping ball of fluff suspiciously. Churro rolled over and squeaked at the interruption to his nap.

He shook the little water bottle, and decided to refill it to spare himself the lecture he knew he’d get from Shiro if he didn’t. Wrinkling his nose at the smell as he replaced the container, Matt opened Shiro’s window. Shiro had told him specifically not to leave the window open, because it let in bugs and he was worried about Churro escaping, but Matt wasn’t about to clean the cage and it seemed the only logical compromise.

Satisfied that the stench was dealt with, the rat was confirmed in its cage, alive, and supplied with food and water, Matt grabbed his favorite book and promptly fell asleep on the couch.

He was unceremoniously awoken a few hours later by a panicked Shiro and Keith storming into the room, demanding to know Churro’s whereabouts. “He’s in the stupid cage,” Matt grumbled, still only half awake.

The look on Shiro’s face when he walked back out of the room told Matt that Churro was not, in fact in his cage, and that meant something bad. “One of the guys in the sim deck said there was a cat running loose, we have to find Churro before he gets eaten!” Keith looked like he was on the verge of tears.

“He couldn’t have gotten far, we’ll find him,” Shiro assured, both hands gripping Keith’s shoulders tightly.

Keith nodded solemnly and Matt had to suppress the urge to gag. “Did you check your closet? He likes the blankets…” Keith trailed off.

They both dashed into Shiro’s room as Matt followed more sedately. He would have felt a little bit bad if he’d let their pet get eaten, but the sight that unfolded before him was somehow worse.

Shiro and Keith both cooed affectionately as they stood annoyingly close together, Shiro with both of his hands on Keith’s shoulders again, staring into the closet. “What?” Matt asked, running a hand through his hair with a yawn. Shiro stepped back with a dopey grin and gestured inside.

Churro was lying curled up on Shiro’s bundle of extra blankets… on top of a gray tabby cat. “You are NOT keeping the cat.” Matt grumbled, stomping the whole way to his own bedroom and slamming the door.

(they kept the cat)


	27. Day 31: Hero

_“I can be your hero baby,_ ” the earplugs weren’t working. Not that Matt would have been able to sleep with the foam stuffed halfway into his brain anyway.

“ _I can kiss away the pain,_ ” he pulled them out with a grimace before tossing them into the trash, putting his glasses on and stalking into Shiro’s room.

“ _I will stand by yo-_ ” Shiro stopped singing and tore off his headphones, staring up at Matt from his desk like a deer in headlights.

“I say this both as your friend, and as someone dangerously close to committing homicide,  _you have to tell him_.” Matt’s stern tone left no room for discussion or argument.

Shiro sighed and set his headphones down on his desk. He stared at the floor in between his socked feet. “I know,” he whispered. “I’m going to.”

Matt glared at him and clenched his fists. “When?” He demanded. “Because it’s been  _weeks_ , Shiro. I need to  _sleep_.”

Shiro stared up at the ceiling for a moment before answering. “This weekend. I’ll tell him this weekend.”

“You better.” Matt grumbled, heading back to bed.

..

Shiro took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. “Keith…” he started, pouring as much emotion into his voice as he could. “No, no, too much, dial it back,” he grumbled. Smoothing his hair out in the mirror, he tried again. “Keith. Yeah, better.”

He rolled his shoulders a few times to psych himself up for the rest of his speech. “Keith, we’ve been friends a long time now, and I feel like it’s time to come clean.” He tried the sentence a few different times with different inflections until he settled on one he liked.

“I’m in love with you,” he cringed as the words left his mouth. “Too strong. I like you… as more than a friend.” He hung his head. “Too middle school. Come on, Shirogane, you’re better than this.” He chided his reflection.

A harsh knock at the bathroom door startled him into sending all of the hairspray, hand soap, and deodorant on the vanity flying as he jumped. “If you’re not out of there in 30 seconds, I’m taking a leak on your bed!” Matt shouted from the other side of the door.

..

It was as close to perfect as Shiro could have imagined it being. The moon was nearly full, the stars were glittering above them like diamonds, Keith was smiling up at him in anticipation. “Keith,” Shiro started softly.  _Nailed it_ , he thought to himself as he placed just the right amount of emphasis on Keith’s name.

It all went downhill from there.

“We’ve been… uh,” the faint light glinted off of Keith’s brilliant blue eyes and made them seem to sparkle, “clean friends, a lot.”

Keith tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows. “Clean… friends?”

Shiro squeezed his eyes shut. “No, I meant. Just friends. We’re just regular friends.” He stammered.

“Oh.” Keith replied, looking down at the rooftop dejectedly as he scuffed a boot across an errant piece of concrete. “Yeah, of course.”

“No, wait.” Shiro took another step forward and put his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “We were regular friends. We are. It should be were. I want us to be were.”

Keith shook his head. “Are you ok, Shiro? I have… no idea what you’re saying.”

Shiro pulled his arm back and buried his face in his hands. “Let me start over.” He pleaded, dragging his hands down his face and bringing them together like he was praying.

“Ok. Start over, then.” Keith agreed skeptically, crossing his arms.

“I don’t want to be friends.” He clapped a hand over his mouth as soon as the words left his mouth.

“What the hell, Shiro?” Keith gritted out, lowering his arms and clenching his fists.

Shiro took a deep breath, and threw his plan out the window. “Would you dance, If I asked you to dance?” He sang quietly. Keith stared up at him like he’d grown another head. “Would you run, And never look back?”

As Shiro continued the song, Keith seemed to catch on. He stepped forward and put his arms on Shiro’s shoulders, swaying along. As he wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, Shiro stumbled through the verses . Keith rested his head on Shiro’s chest and felt the vibrations through Shiro’s body as he listened. They danced together on the rooftop under the moonlight until Shiro finished singing.

“You… are such a dork.” Keith murmured fondly as he looked up into Shiro’s eyes.

Shiro’s face was red from the tips of his ears to his neck. “Is that… a good thing?” He asked hopefully.

Keith laughed. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

“Yeah, you got it.” Shiro mumbled with a shy smile. Suddenly sure of himself, Shiro brought a hand up to brush his knuckles across Keith’s cheek before cupping his jaw. He leaned down just as Keith tilted up to meet his lips with a soft kiss.

They leaned away from each other just far enough to take in a few shallow breaths. “Just, uh,” Shiro started quietly, “so we’re totally clear. I want to be boyfriends.”

Keith shook his head and laughed again. “I thought you wanted to be clean friends.” He said with a smirk.

Shiro rested his forehead against Keith’s with a sigh. “You… are never letting me live that down, are you?”

“Nope.” Keith brushed their noses together lightly before kissing Shiro again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blame Enrique Iglesias for that last one. 
> 
> Holy crap I can't believe I made it through all 27!!!! Thanks so much for reading!!


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